I have to start to take warfarin soon before i get my pacemaker changed and i dont know much about it they doc at hospital says i will be taking it till my heart rate goes back to normal ....
warfarin is indeed a "blood thinner" commonly known as coumadin....
when the heart beats irregulary or has the potential to beat irregular it can then cause blood clots to be formed and even "thrown" ...meaning if the heart doesnt do the regular LUB DUB beat that we have all heard about then the push of the blood out of the ventricles might not be complete and a clot can form...it can lodge in there or beak off and travel to the lungs or to the brain for instance. obviously this would create a serious perhaps deadly outcome....
your doctor will put you on this medication until they decide it okay and sage to take you off.....while you are on the medicine you will be ordered regular lab work....called a protime (PT)...this is how the proper dosage is determined...they call it being coagulated.......lots of people take this medication and live full lives....be sure to ask your doctor about any questionable physical activites that may cause injury while taking this medication and be sure to ask your pharmacist about foods to avoid (foods high in vitamin k like green leavy veggies like spinach)
Warfarin sodium is the generic name of the drug Coumadin. It is an anticoagulant, also known as a blood thinner. It will make you bruise more easily and bleed more freely, but it makes it easier for your heart to do its job, and prevents potentially fatal blood clots from forming within the bloodstream.
That's right. It's a lifetime medication as long as your (atrial fibrillation, I presume) arrhythmia continues because of the danger of pooled blood in the atrium throwing a clot. Pacemakers, like you have, have been used for some stabilization.
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